Basket cover



Jan. 25, 193s. A H. SCHWDTKE 2,106,328

BASKET COVER .Filked ct. 5, 1954 Patented Jane 25, 1938 ir s STTES PATENT OFFlCE BASKET COVER Application October 5,

8 Claims.

My invention relates to covers for shipping baskets and the like and has reference more particularly to a structure that is suitable for use with round baskets and does not require a marginal hoop such as is commonly employed in prevailing types of covers for such baskets.

Covers for shipping baskets are made of thin strips or wood and these thin strips must not only be assembled to aiiord maximum strength to withstand the strains and abuse to which they are subjected, but they must be designed so that they can be fabricated rap-idly and economically. Ordinarily such covers are made with a marginal hoop to which the thin cover panels or strips are secured, the panels or strips being arranged by hand in the manner in which they are to be secured to the hoop. It is desired, however, to construct such basket covers so that they have the required strength andl can be securely attached to the basket without employing a marginal hoop, and it is also important to simplify and facilitate the arranging of the cover panels or strips in the manner required to constitute the cover.

Shipping baskets are usually packed heaping full and the cover forced down over the contents and secured around the edge of the basket so as to produce what is known as a bulge pack, and the cover, must be capable of conforming to and withstanding the strain of the bulging basket contents and it must also be adapted to permit secure attachment thereof around the edge to the basket rim.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide an improved basket cover construction which is particularly adaptable to dispense with the usual cover hoop; to construct the cover so that it is capable of conforming to the bulged contents of the basket; to insure ample strength to withstand the bulging strains as well as other strains and abuse to which basket covers are subjected; to arrange the cover panels or strips so that the cover is suitably reinforced to permit secure fastening thereof around the edges to the basket rim; and to provide a construction and method of manufacture which simplies and facilitates the making of basket covers; these and other objects being accomplished as will be ap- 50 parent from the following description of the invention and the illustrations thereof in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a basket equipped with a cover made in accordance with the invention;

1934, serial No. 747,013

Fig. 4 is a. partial top plan view of a modied form of construction of cover section.

The basket in connection with which my improved cover is designed particularly for use is of the round type commonly used for shipping fruit and vegetables, one form of such basket being shown at H) in the drawing, and the cover .i

comprises a group or series of spaced parallel panels II arranged crosswise at right angles over another similar group or series of panels I2, said panels being secured together in this crossed relationship by staples I3 or any other suitable iastenings, and the ends of the panels I! and I2 being cut on curved lines to form a circular mat which is of proper size to extend over and rest on the rim of the basket Ii). Three panels are shown in each group in the illustrated structure, but obviously the number of panels may be varied as desired. The ends of each group or series of panels Il and I2 are overlapped by and secured by staples or other `fasteners Ill to end pieces or cleats which are preferably of the same thickness as the panels II and I2 and curved along their outer margins to conform to the curvature of the cover and basket rim, the end cleats of the panels II being indicated at i5 and for the panels I2 at IS in the structure of Figs. l, 2

and 3. The inner edges of the cleats I5 and I5 may be straight as indicated at Il in said figures or said inner edges may be cut on curved lines concentric with the outer margins' thereof as A.

shown at I8 in Fig. 4.

Any desired fastening devices may be employed for securing the cover to the basket, as for eX- ample, wire fastener members I9 may be attached to the cover and provided with loop portions projecting beyond the cover edge for ready engagement with tongue members 2t of wire on the basket, which said tongue members, after engagement with the projecting loops of the fas-v tener members I9 are bent downwardly as indicated at 2l and serve to hold the cover securely in place on the basket.

For greater security the fastener members I9 are preferably attached to the cover Where the thin cleats I5 and I6 overlap the ends of their panels II or I2 as .this gives double thickness at the place of attachment, the legs of said fastener members being extended inwardly over the respective cleat for a short distance where they are punched down through the cleat and underlying panel end as indicated at 22 and clinched against the under side of said panel end as indicated at 23. The cover may be fastened to the basket at four points therearound, as for example with four fasteners of the above described type located at the ends of the middle panels Il and l2 as shown in Fig. l and in the full line section of Fig. 2, or additional fasteners may readily be employed as for example eight of the described fasteners may be employed and located at the ends of the two outer panels Il and l2 of the respective groups as indicated in the dotted line section of Fig. 2.

Thus it will be noted that this .cover construction is not only adaptable yto variation in the number of fasteners employed with insurance of secure attachment to the cover at all places not only on account of the same double thickness of material at the places of attachment, but also on account of the cross grain arrangement of the material of the overlapping parts thereof where the cover fastener members are attached, but the arrangement of the end cleats l5 and I6 in overlying relation on the ends of panels of their respective groups in the assembled relation but by reason of the attachment of the fastener members I9 to these cleats and the arrangement of the loop portions of said fastener members so that they overlie said cleats, the ends of the panels H and l2 are held securely in place so that they cannot come loose under the bulging strains that are imposed on the cover.

Another important feature of my present cover construction is that it is conveniently and efficiently produced by merely making up like sections lI-l5 and I2-l6 and thereafter completing the cover by merely arranging them in the crossed relation and fastening the panels l I and I2 together at their intersections as indicated at 13. Furthermore this cover, by reason of its adaptability to such sectional construction, lends itself to convenient and economical m-anufacture with simple and efficient machines of a type quite well known and extensively used in making box like containers such as crates and wire bound boxes. In such structures it is a common practice to make the walls of the container of a group of thin spaced parallel panels which are secured at their ends to cross strips or cleats in substantially the same manner as the sections ll-l5 and l2--IE of my cover structure. This is an advantage as the laying up of panels and cross pieces in this manner is not only a Simple and easy operation that requires little experience and is already well understood by operators of crate and wire bound box machines, but furthermore such machines are readily adaptable to the making of sections such as required for the manufacture of my cover, all of which, together with the simplicity, strength and low cost of the cover and its adaptability to variation in the number of fasteners therearound with adequate reinforcement at the desired fastener locations makes it a very desirable improvement.

While I have shown and described my invention in a preferred form, I am aware that various changes and modifications may be made Without departing from the principles of my invention, the scope of which is to be determined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A cover for a basket or the like consisting of a pair of similar elongated fiat sections of thin material, each comprising a plurality of panels with battens extending across and secured to the ends thereof and each section being arranged in crossed relation to the other section.

2. A round cover for a basket or the like consisting of a pair of similar elongated fiat sections of thin material secured together in crossed relation and having the ends suitably curved so as to form a substantially at circular mat that fits onto the rim of the basket, each of said sections having at each end thereof a thin transverse strip overlying and secured to the end of the respective section, said strip being located beyond and extending along the lateral edge of the other section and having a curved outer edge comprising substantially one fourth of the circumference of the cover.

3. In a cover for a round basket or the like the combination of a pair of elongated flat sections of thin material secured together in crossed relation and having the ends suitably curved so as to form a substantially flat circular mat that ts onto the rim of the basket, each of said sections having at each end thereof a thin transverse strip overlying and secured to the end of the respective section, said strip being located beyond and extending along the lateral edge of the other section and having substantially concentrically curved inner and outer edges, the latter of which substantially coincides with the curved end of the section to which it is attached.

a. A round cover for a basket or the like consisting of two groups of thin laterally spaced substantially. parallel panels, the panels of each group being arranged crosswise of the panels of the other group, and each group having a thin strip extending across and secured flat against the corresponding ends thereof, and each of said strips having a curved outer edge comprising substantially one fourth of the circumference of the cover.

5. A basket cover or the like comprising a plurality of intermediate panels and a pair of end battens arranged crosswise of and secured to another similar plurality of intermediate panels and pair of end battens.

6. A basket cover or the like comprising a plurality of intermediate panels and a pair of end battens all in parallel'relation and arranged crosswise of and secured to another similar plurality of intermediate panels and pair of end battens which are likewise in parallel relation.

7. A basket cover or the like comprising a plurality of intermediate panels and a pair of end battens all in parallel relation and arranged crosswise of and secured to another similar plurality of intermediate panels and pair of end battens which are likewise in parallel relation, the first named panels and battens being at opposite sides respectively of the plane of the second named panels and battens.

8. A basket cover or the like comprising a plurality of intermediate panels and a pair of end battens all in parallel relation and arranged crosswise of and secured to another similar plurality of intermediate panels and pair of end battens which are likewise in parallel relation, the second named panels and battens being in the same plane and the first named panels and battens being at opposite sides respectively of said plane.

ALBERT I-I. SCHMIDTKE. 

